"Center prospect Chris McNeil (6-5, 280-lbs., 5.0) has been receiving a lot of attention since the first of the month. "A bunch of colleges have come down to the school, and I have received a bunch of phone calls," he said. Twenty-two schools have requested film of the Petal High spring game." Click here for the complete story.....

05/22/00 - Most of you don't know this but MSU football graduate assistant Kurt Woerner coaches the defensive ends in practice. I recently interviewed him. Here are a couple of excerpts about a couple of the defensive ends.

GS: Coach Woerner, you coach the defensive ends for Coach Dunn's defense. How about talking about how they did during the spring?
Coach Woerner: We have a bunch of kids at defensive end. And a whole bunch of talent. It is one of the places that we are not worried about depth. We are probably going to end up using some of those guys at other positions.

What did we want to get from them this spring? We wanted Conner Stephens to improve. Conner is a great ballplayer who can be as good as anybody that has played here. I just had to work on his pad level and his technique. We are really looking for a great season from Conner. He is one unbelievable player.

GS: Did Conner improve like you wanted him to?
Coach Woerner: I think Conner did a great job working on his technique and getting his pad level down. His footwork is getting much, much better. Not that he had bad footwork to begin with. He is probably the best guy when going through the bags and foot drills. To me, he just looks so good.

GS: Do you think that he is about to reach that potential that was talked about when he was coming out of high school?
Coach Woerner: Yes, I believe that he can be all that they said he could be coming out of high school. This is the season. We have talked about it. He is excited about it. We are looking for great things from Conner this season.

Another player is Dwayne Robertson. He is a fantastic athlete, has tremendous speed and is hard-nosed. He will hit you. The biggest problem I have with Dwayne is sometimes he won't avoid people. He flat-out tries to run over guys when it might be to his advantage to avoid the blocker. He is new in the system for us. He played for us early in the season but then he hurt his elbow. Then he was red-shirted after the third game in the fall and did not get much time with me. We really think that he might be a situation-type guy coming off the corner. He might be used similar to Ashley Cooper, except instead of being a Dog Safety it will be as an end that comes off the corner. He has an extremely quick start and reminds us of Ashley coming off the corner.

05/21/00 - Greenwood HS has a senior-to-be, Glenn Issac (6-7, 340, OL), that could be a guy that MSU will recruit next season.

If you have info on Issac, please email it to me at swindoll@genespage.com

05/20/00 (11:45 a.m.) - MSU graduate Taylor Moore, 29, died yesterday. Taylor was a friend to many. He and his family loved Mississippi State. Taylor, along with his dad and younger brother, was a graduate of Mississippi State. He had been hospitalized for the last year. His funeral will be tomorrow (Sunday) at the First Baptist Church in New Albany, MS. He leaves his wife Michelle and his son.

05/20/00 - The rumor is MSU coach Jerry Fremin was seen in Biloxi, Mississippi this week. I assume he was on a recruiting trip.

05/19/00 - Here are excerpts from my Coach Joe Lee Dunn premium site interview:

GS: Coach Dunn, how about talking about the objectives that you had coming into the spring?
Coach Dunn: Spring training this past year was really to solidify the people that we thought could play. We were very fortunate last year in the fact that we rotated two groups of the front six folks every other series. Because of that, we basically knew who the starters were going to be going into the spring.

The main thing that we were trying to do was find somebody else who could play and who we felt could help us win ballgames. We are not going to have the luxury that we had last year of platooning people. We just don't have the level of talent that we had last year as far as the depth goes. We found some guys who could help us in the future but I don't think that they can help us next year. Nathan Jackson, Ivan Billie, Lennie Day and Corey Miley, I think are going to be great players in the future but I don't foresee them really being a factor for us next year. They will be factors as far as special teams. They need to be because we need to get some of our guys who will play full time off of the special teams.

Another big thing that you want to do is get through spring training without any injuries. But we were unfortunate in the fact that we ended up having a non-contact knee injury to Barris Grant. He was probably going to be one of the best football players to play here in a long time. Whether he will come back from the knee surgery in time, we will just have to wait and see. It takes most people a while to recuperate after ACL surgery.

That throws a big lasso around us because we don't really have anybody who is capable of doing what he could do for us. We played him half the time all of last year to get him ready for this year. His injury is just one of those things that happens in football. You have to keep going. We'll find someone by the first game to take his place.

My kids and wife have been super happy here in Starkville and we will stay here forever if they don't run us off. Larry Templeton and Coach Sherrill have been super to us. We don't want to leave and want to stay here for a long time.

GS: Do you feel like you achieved the objectives that you had coming into the spring?
Coach Woods: I think we answered a lot of questions but we still have some that we need to answer.

(Offensive Line) Right now, I'm not sure that we have a second-string center. Moving Michael Fair to first-string center has been a real plus. I think that he will be an outstanding player there. He is kind of a quarterback for our line of scrimmage. He will do that that better at center than he would have at guard. I am really happy with the two JC guys, Courtney Lee and Tommy Watson. They will be great additions and be in a position to start. We have some depth at guard. Both Donald Tucker and Kyle Wallace, especially Kyle, are ready to add depth to the line. I don't think that (offensive line coach) Jerry (Fremin) would be nervous about putting Kyle into the game. Donald has all the potential to be that same kind of player.

At tackle, we have to have a great year out of Floyd Womack. He looks like he is going to be fine. His leg has healed well. I think that he has a chance to be outstanding. We need Carl Hutchins to come along and give us some backup depth there. A big question mark is the second tackle position. We moved Kenric Fairchild back to that position. We really need for him to step up. I thought he got better during the spring. He will have competition from Derrick Thompson. Derrick got better each day. Spring practice was great for him because it gave him a chance to get in the huddle and learn to execute what we want him to. Derrick is a guy who has a chance to at least challenge or even split some time with Kenric. Between those two, we have to be good at tackle.

(Tight Ends) I think that we are better at tight end because Donald Lee had a really good spring. How Adam Joiner returns from his injury could be a key. It looks like Aaron Lumpkin can give us some depth. If he can give us 10 to 15 plays that would help. He is still very young. Between those three, we should be alright.

(Running Backs) We have good backs with the five that we are counting on. We would like to give a freshman a chance to play at fullback because two of our fullbacks are seniors.

(Quarterbacks) It was a fun spring for me as a quarterback coach. The guys really worked hard. I think that they all improved. Wayne needs to have a really great year. This summer is going to be very important to him. He seems to be very committed and worked hard. I think that he had, for the most part, a good spring. He has a much better understanding of what we would like to do. As he continues to learn about defenses, we will be better. Brandon Butler probably jumped higher than any of them as far as improvement is concerned. He is a guy that offers a lot of athletic skills. We still haven't really gotten a guy making a lot of plays at wide receiver so Brandon and I have talked about him playing something like an H-back or third receiver. He is willing to do that because he wants to play very badly. Kevin Fant is a guy, when he gets more reps, will be a very solid player for us.

(Wide Receivers) Wide receiver is the biggest question mark for us. We have a lot of athletes but not many who have played a great deal. Terrell (Grindle) played some for us last year. He came out of spring looking pretty good to me. He is quick and has a great start. Larry Huntington, who played the other position, is a guy who played quite a bit for us last year. Larry is a lot better because he had to learn on the run last fall. He looked a lot faster during the spring because he knew his assignments and where he was going. We have a lot of other athletes after those two. I am real happy with Clarence Parker, the JC kid who came in early. He did have a little surgery on his leg. He has had some shin problems and they put some rods in his legs. He will feel a lot better because of that. He can run and go get the ball. Between he, Darius Tubbs, Harold Lindsey, Milas Randle and Justin Jenkins, there is enough athletic ability for somebody to make those plays that we have lost due to Kelvin Love's graduation.

05/18/00
Fall 1999 academic statistics of MSU's student-athletes:

Other Reports (Each has its own criteria):

Highest team rankings during the season:

As you can see, the student-athletes are doing their part, both athletically and academically, to help keep MSU at a very high level. How about doing your part as a fan by buying season tickets and joining the Bulldog Club. If you are ready to make the commitment to join the Bulldog Club, please click here to download a copy of my Bulldog Club membership application.

05/17/00 - Meridian HS and Clinton HS scrimmaged against each other last Thursday night in Clinton. The rumor is there were quite a few college recruiters in attendance including coaches from Mississippi State, Florida State, LSU and a few others. I'm not sure who the coaches were there to look at but I do know that Meridian has several possible senior D-I prospects including the Spinks brothers, Jeremy Ruffin and Tyler Richardson. Clinton has the outstanding senior running back duo of Co Co Hodge and Mario King.

05/15/00 - Bet you didn't know this. The late Joseph Burleson "Mr. Mutt" Peavey was the composer of Mississippi State's fight song. Mr. Peavey, retired owner of Peavey Melody Music Co. in Meridian, wrote the words and music to HAIL STATE in a 1939 contest, for which he won $55 as the winner. The song was first performed by Kay Kyser's band at the '39 spring formal on campus. Now you know the rest of the story.

05/15/00 - Ingle Martin update:
According to a source of mine, Montgomery Bell Academy quarterback Ingle Martin, a player MSU is rumored to be recruiting, attended a high school combine a few weeks ago. Ingle was clocked at 4.49 in the 40-yard dash. He weighed in at 199 pounds and was measured at 6-4. His vertical jump was 33" and he threw the ball 60+ yards.

05/14/00 - The word is MSU assistant coach Craig Stump attended a Columbus (MS) High School football practice this week. MSU assistant coach Glenn Davis was rumored to have visited Morton (MS) High School this week.

Shannon HS has a couple of kids who will be D-I prospects. One is junior-to-be quarterback Ken Topps. Ken has a good arm and great quickness running the ball. The second D-I prospect is an outstanding wide receiver whose last name is Johnson (not sure what his first name is). He showed good hands, very good speed and excellent quickness after catching the ball. Not sure what classification he is. Anybody know anything about him?

05/12/00
Columbus (MS) HS Football - Columbus has quite a few D-I prospects but one senior-to-be really stands out. His name is Marcus West. Marcus is a 6-3, 220, defensive end who runs a 4.8 forty. Marcus is little known among the recruiting experts but the rumor is a lot of college coaches, including MSU's, definitely know about Marcus and his teammates. If you want to read about all the rest of the Columbus HS prospects, CLICK HERE.....

05/12/00 - Bogue Chitto HS and Franklin County HS as well as another team or two will play in a jamboree this afternoon. The start time for the jamboree will be at 3 pm at Franklin County HS. Ernie Johnston as well as a few other Division 1 prospects will be playing in the jamboree.

05/12/00 - Bulldog Rep update: According to my sources, Bulldog Rep Steve Taylor helped sell 10 Maroon pack season tickets. Congrats to Steve for a job well done. As I receive them, I will be posting accounts of individual Bulldog Reps achievements.

05/11/00 - While attending a recent MSU baseball game I happened to notice MSU kicker Scott Westerfield at the game. He was gracious enough to be interviewed by me. CLICK HERE to read the interview.

05/10/00
Meridian HS Football - According to a source of mine, Meridian HS has three players that have a chance to be D-I prospects this coming season. They are Jermaine Spinks, a 6-0, 175-lb. senior defensive back and Daniel Spinks, a 6-1, 175-lb. senior quarterback. Daniel threw for almost 600 yards last season. Meridian was primarily a running team. The other D-I prospect is Jeremy Ruffin. Jeremy is in the 6-2 to 6-3 range and weighs about 200-lbs. He plays linebacker for Meridian. My source said he heard a lot of good things about Jeremy last year.

05/09/00 - I had a great time at the Union County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association meeting last night in New Albany. There were between 175 - 225 MSU fans at the family celebration. Although the event was in New Albany, there were folks from all parts of the surrounding area, as well as Tennessee and even one from Caledonia (me), which is about 80 miles from New Albany. Special MSU guests in attendance included football coaches Sparky Woods, Joe Lee Dunn and Craig Stump; alumni association executive director John Correro and coordinator of chapter programs Tricia Hemphill; MSU director of marketing and promotion Chuck Beddingfield and Bulldog Club executive Straton Karatassos.

Everybody enjoyed a very nice hamburger cookout prior to listening to Chuck, Sparky and Joe Lee speak. Coach Woods and Coach Dunn were both optimistic about the upcoming season.

05/08/00 - MSU football signee Antonio Hargro of Gautier HS won the MHSAA Track and Field State 4A Championship in the 200 meters (21.53 seconds) and 110 High Hurdles (14.47 seconds). Another tidbit about Antonio that you may not know is he has the best reported season record for the 200 meters with a time of 20.97 seconds. This is according to The Clarion-Ledger.

05/07/00 - According to sources, defensive back Kendall Roberson will receive his 6th year of eligibility.

05/06/00 - Former MSU football player Barrin Simpson has signed a free agent contract with the New England Patriots.

05/06/00 - Correction: Ernie Johnson, the player from Bogue Chitto HS that I mentioned a couple of days ago is actually a junior-to-be, not a senior-to-be. BTW, Bogue Chitto has another junior-to-be that has a chance to be a really good player. His name is Detrix Tobias. Detrix is 6-4, 200-lbs and plays WR and FS.

05/05/00 (2:00 p.m.) - The rumor is MSU assistant coach David Wilson will be attending a Fayette County (AL) HS baseball double header tonight. Not sure exactly who he will be watching but I strongly suspect it will be Spencer Pennington. Spencer is the starting quarterback for Fayette County as well as an outstanding baseball player. Spencer will, most likely, be one of the top senior quarterbacks in the South this coming season. If you see Coach Wilson at the game go by and say hello to him.

05/05/00 - One of our greatest players ever, Blondy Black, died yesterday in the V.A. Nursing Home in Jackson at 4:30 p.m. Blondy played on the 1941 Orange Bowl team and was a loyal and much-loved member of the MSU family.

05/05/00 - If you haven't checked out my events page for the latest Bulldog events, you need to check it out today. Click here to go to the events page. There are events going on from May 8th to June 5th in cities such as New Albany, MS., Birmingham, AL., Columbus, MS., Leland, MS., St. Francisville, LA., West Point, MS., Greenbrier, AL., Gulf Breeze, FL., Mobile, AL., Washington, D.C., and Cleveland, MS. If you live near any of these cities and you would like to go, check out the events page.

P.S. I have info on all but Cleveland. If anyone in Cleveland has info on the meeting there, please email it to me at swindoll@genespage.com.

05/05/00 - For those of you haven't read this on my message board, former MSU football player Kevin Prentiss has been signed by the N.Y. Giants.

05/04/00 - According to a source of mine, Bogue Chitto High School has a talented junior-to-be lineman (plays both ways) by the name of Ernie Johnson. Ernie is 6-5 and 290 pounds and, according to my source, is receiving interest from LSU and Auburn. The word is he is also interested in MSU.

05/03/00 (9:30 a.m.) - Super clash and super football prospects coming to the Delta.....

The plan has been hatched. An army of volunteers is quietly being assembled. Approximately 1,000 young men in uniforms begin going through drills and P.T. next week in preparation for the operation.

War is coming to our fair city!

Well, not really, but Cleveland will definitely be invaded in D-Day fashion on Saturday, May 13.

That's when The Bolivar Commercial hosts the first-ever Prep Super Clash - an event that promises to tame the hunger of all those football fans who can't wait for the preseason magazines to hit the racks in June. Twenty high school football teams in one stadium for one day of smash-mouth camaraderie......CLICK HERE for the entire story.

05/02/00 - According to my sources, Amory High School's spring football game is Friday, May 12. Three other teams are playing. Game one features Lafayette Co. vs. Shannon, with game two featuring Amory vs. Kossuth. My sources also told me they were told that Amory's outstanding defensive lineman, Larry Clark, a player that MSU is looking at, was having a great spring. Larry is now up to 6-2.5 and 258 pounds (he was 6-2, 235). He has also bench pressed 350-lbs and ran a 4.8 forty yard dash (a decrease from 5.0).